Tubular knit fabric and process of making the same



Feb. 20, 1945. P. THURSTON ETAL 2,369,92?

TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 l8 Sheets-Sheetl Q i 65 INVENTORS Cum l g BY D.) Uv

AT TORNEY 1945. P. 1.. THURSTON ET AL 2,369,927

TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 18 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY P. L. THURSTON ET AL 2,369,927

Feb. 20, 1945.

TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 18 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTO R N EY Feb. 20, 1945. P. 1.. THURSTON ET AL 2,369,92?

TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 18 Sheets-Sheet 4 l8 Shets-Sheet 5 1 ud (J P. L. THURSTON ET AL Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME H fi v L? I J ['1 M W 1 W H i RX Mm I -1 1% Th ll 1 I $7 m I: 1| 1 u rl mm II. I "W x Feb. 20, 1945.

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TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1 941 18 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR5 ATTORNEY Feb. 20, 1945. P. L. THURSTON ET AL 2,369,927

TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 18 Sheets-Sheet 7 101 45 (m /100 E-' 1r ii j- 621 Z 46 g Z; 3

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TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 18 Sheets-Sheet 8 Feb. 20, 1945- P. L. THURSTON ET AL 2,369,927

' TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Ori ginal Filed Jan. 14, 1941 1a Sheets-Sheet 9 ATTORNEY Feb. 20, 1945. p THURSTQN ET AL 2569,92?

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TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 18 Sheets-Sheet 11 Q3) INVENTOR ATTORNEY Feb. 29, 1945.- THURSTQN ET AL 2,369,927

TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 18 Sheets-Sheet 12 TTQIiIiEY Feb. 20, 1945. THURSTQN T AL 2,369,927

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TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 18 Sheets-Sheet l5 m q m5 g A r l 0 I V4 AL AL LL LL Feb. 20,

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TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 l8 Sheets-Sheet 16 Feb. 20, 1945. P. 1.. THURSTON ET AL 2,359,927

TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 18 Sheets-Sheet 17 ATTO R N EY Feb. 20, 1945. P. L. THURSTON ETAL TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 14, 1941 18 Sheets-Sheet l8 1 I I 1 Tfil f A KAY U Hf L /U\ V M. T M IY EN TL 1 T 1 wwwwwwm @DLDFDKDFEE D Patented Feb. 20, 1945 TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC AND PROCESS MAKING THE SAME Paul L. Thurston and David Nagley, Mar'tinsburg, W. Va., assignors to Interwoven Stocking Company, New Brunswick, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application January 14, 1941, Serial No. 374,334.'now.latent No. 2,316,822, dated April 20, 1943. Divided and this application April 17, 1941, Serial No. 388,926

28 Claims.

Our invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawing which illustrate embodiments of the same selected by us for the pu pose of illustration, and the said invention is fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

Our invention relates to the production of multi-feed fabric on circular knitting machines having coaxial, superposed needle cylinders. In producing such fabric a plurality of separate threads are fed to the needles of the machine and incorporated in the fabric either by knitting all of them or by knitting one'and incorporating the other or others in an un-knitted manner so as to be united to the fabric by portions of the knitted thread. Whilethe separate threads used may, if desired, all be alike, they are preferably of different characteristics. For example, one may be a relatively inelastic fabric thread, while the other is an elastic thread. Alternatively, the

threads may be of different color or of different material. so as to differ from one another in appearance.

In incorporating elastic thread in knitted fabrics, the inelastic or fabric thread may be fed to all of the needles, while the elastic thread is preferably fed to selected needles only. In many instances it is desirable to have different needle selections in incorporating elastic thread in different parts of an article. For example, in producing selfsupporting socks, it. is preferable to feed the elastic thread so as to become interlaced. in front of alternate needles and behind intervening needles to produce an anti-ravel structure. and thereafter unite the elastic thread to the fabric at more widely spaced points, for example. at every fourth Wale in the balance of the self-supporting top portion of the sock. To obtain the required need e selections. it has been propo ed .to provide spec al selecting cams cooperating with butts of different lengths provided on the sliders which actuate the needles. As

different butt lengths are required in the normal o eration of an opposed cyl nder machine, the number of additional select ons possible is strictly limited. The operation'of the machine is further complicated by the fact that successive rounds of elastic thread are preferably spaced by one or m re courses of fabr c thread without elastic, thereby necessitating the movement of the selecting cams into and out of operat ve position. It has been found that to avoid breakage of the slider butts by the cams, it is necessary to leave a gap in the circular series ofselecting butts in order that the cams may b moved into operative position when the gap is opposite the cam. This gap interferes with the production of an anti-ravel edge, since the corresponding gap in the anti-ravel structure permits the fabric to ravel and in the balance of the fabric the gap results in the production of an undesirably long float of elastic thread at the'point where the gap occurs.

It is an object of the present invention to overi come the difliculties encountered in the prior art. Instead of feeding the elastic thread to selected needles in the lower cylinder, it is fed to. all of the needles in the upper cylinder, desired Ones of the needles being transferred to the upper cylinder to receive the elastic thread. For example, in forming an anti-ravel edge where a 1 x 1 needle selection is desired, every alternate needle is transferred to the upper cylinder where it will receive the elastic thread, while the intervening needles are in the'lower cylinder where they will not receive the elastic. As the elastic thread will extend in a straight line from one upper cylinder needle to the next, it will be floated behind the lower cylinder needles when the latter are raised to take the fabricthread, and will thereby be interlaced. Where the elastic thread is to be united to the fabric at more widely spaced points, for example, at every fourth wale, correspondingly spaced needles are transferred to the upper cylinder to take the elastic thread while the remaining needles are in the lower cylinder.

The desired selection is obtained merely by transferrin the selected needles to the upper cylinder. During the knitting of intervening courses which are not to contain elast c thread. all of the needles are transferred to the lower cylinder where they will receive the fabric thread only, and will not receive the elastic. It is hence unnecessary to withdraw the elastic feed finger or any selecting cam as the incorporation of elastic thread in the fabric is automatically interrupted when the needles are transferred to the lower cylinder. This method of operation produces a novel fabric structure in which there are spaced courses of rib knitting. l. e., courses composed of inwardly facing or rib st tches and outwardly facing or plain stitches alternately disposed singly or in groups around the fabric, the rib knit courses being separated by intervening courses of plain knitting'composed of outwardly facing stitchesonly and the elastic thread being incorporated in the fabric at the rib knit courses.

In incorporating elastic thread in knitted fabric, difficulties have been heretofore encountered in properly regulating the amount of elastic thread introduced into each course. If too much elastic thread is introduced, it puckers up when the fabric contracts upon coming off of the machine, and gives an untidy appearance, while if not enough elastic thread is introduced, it restricts the stretching of the fabric and may be broken when the fabric is distended. Because of the extreme liveliness of elastic thread, it is difficult to control the amount fed to the needles to introduce the same amount of elastic thread into each of the elastic containing courses. In accordance with the present invention, this difficulty is overcome by causing the upper cylinder needles which take the elastic thread to form loops thereof to draw a measured amount of said elastic thread from the thread feed.

To transfer selected needles from one cylinder to the other, the knitting machine is provided with selectors associated with the needles and having selector butts disposed at different levels. A plurality of selector levers arranged at corresponding levels are movable into operative position to act on the selector butts of the selectors to effect transfer of the associated needles from one cylinder to the other. A novel feature of the present invention is the provision of means for independently controlling separate sets of selector levers to maintain one set of levers inoperative while levers of another set are moved into and out of operative position through successive cycles of operation. This makes it possible to use one set composed of one or more selector levers to transfer selected needles from one cylinder to the other in making one section of fabric and thereafter maintain the first set of selector levers inoperative while the levers of another set are moved into and out of operative position to efiect the desired needle transfers in making another section of fabric. There can thus be produced successive sections of fabric of different structure, each of which requires the transfer of needles from one cylinder to another in a predetermined cycle, for example, in producing an article of hosiery, one set of selector levers can be used to transfer needles from one cylinder to the other in forming an anti-ravel edge and incorporating elastii thread in the top portion of the article while another set of selector levers can be used to transfer needles to produce a repeating pattern in the leg portion of the article. Since the first 'set of levers is held out of operation during the operation of the second set, the cycle of operation for producing the pattern in the leg portion can be repeated any desired number of times without repeating the cycle of operation by which the elastic thread was incorporated in the top portion.

Instead of using fabric thread and elastic thread merely to produce an elastic fabric, threads of different color or appearance may be used to obtain novel design effects. In producing design fabrics on an opposed cylinder machine in accordance with the prior art various difiiculties .and objections were encountered. Various methods of obtaining designs in knitted fabrics are reverse plating, embroidery wrap and multiple feed. The designs obtainable by using a multiple feed are rather limited as the use of different colored threads at the respective feeds produces only single course horizontal stripes which, at a short distance from the fabric, blend together to give the appearance of a mixed color. Embroidery wrap is extremely difficult with a two cylinder machine owing to the position of one cylinder above the other withonly a narrow It i) space between the upper and lower cylinder needles. Reverse plating has been used to a considerable extent, but is not entirely satisfactory as there are too many seconds owing to the failure of the yarns to reverse properly. Moreover, reverse plating will not produce sharply contrasting solid color patterns, owing to the fact that the suppressed yarn shows through the face yarn. The present invention overcomes these difficulties and produces new fabric structures providing attractive solid color designs not heretofore obtainable. In accordance with the invention certain needles are positioned in the upper cylinder with the remaining needles in the lower cylinder, and one thread is fed to needles in both cylinders, while a second thread is fed so as to be received by the upper cylinder needles and miss at least certain of the lower cylinder needels, so that the latter will not take the second thread. Thus, certain needles of the machine take both threads one after the other to produce a portion in which courses of one thread alternate with courses of the other, giving a single course horizontal stripe effect, While other needles take one thread only and produce a portion in which successive courses are of the same thread, the second thread being floated behind such portions. Where threads of different color are used, the latter needles will produce a solid color pattern contrasting sharply with the portions of the fabric in which stitches of both threads appear. The stitches in the solid color portions of the fabric are twice the length of the other stitches, giving a further distinction in appearance. Moreover,. the stitches of the solid color portion face outwardly, and by forming the surrounding portion of the fabric of inwardly facing stitches, there is obtained an embossed effect in which the solid color design stands out in relief from the mixed color background.

The second thread may be knit on the upper cylinder needles only, or they may be knit on the upper cylinder needles and certain of the lower cylinder needles being floated across selected ones of the needles in the lower cylinder. The upper and lower cylinder needles may be retained in their respective cylinders throughout the knitting of a section of fabric, thus producing a rib knit fabric in which each wale is formed of the same type of stitches throughout, certain wales being formed of inwardly facing stitches with stitches of one thread alternating with those of another, and other wales being formed of outwardly facing stitches of approximately twice the length of said inwardly facing stitches and all formed of the same thread with or without additional wales of outwardly facing stitches formed alternately of different threads. Alternatively, selected needles may be transferred back and forth from one cylinder to the other during the knitting of the fabric to produce what is known as Links-Links fabric in which individual wales are formed in part of inwardly facing or rib stitches and in part of outwardly facing or plain stitches. With this type of fabric, selected needles are so operated that when in the upper cylinder they knit inwardly facing stitches of both threads in succession, and when in the lower cylinder, they knit outwardly facing stitches of one thread only. A solid color design of any desired shape can be produced by transferring selected needles from one cylinder to the other in predetermined sequence.

Instead of being different colors, the threads may differ in other respects such as size, ma- 

